Method of extruding irregularly shaped carbon rods



E. A. LUACES Dec, 7, 1948.

METHOD OF EXTRUDING IRREGULARLY SHAPED CARBON RODS Original Fi led May 26, 1943 INVENTOR ENR\QUF. L. LUACES BY @Q,

ATTORNEYS l atented Dec. 7, 1948 2,455,509 ICE METHOD or EXTRU I I REGULARLY SHAPED CARBON nons Enrique L. Luaces, Dayton, Ohio, assigiior to Chemical Developments Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application May 26, 1943, Serial No.

488,533. Divided and this application December 13, 1943, Serial No. 514,036

4 Claims.

This application is a division of copending application Serial No. 488,533 filed May 26, 1943, now abandoned.

This invention relates to extruded carbon, and more particularly deals with a method for producing an extruded carbon material which is particularly well adapted for use as contact mass in'adsorption and catalytic processes.

The method of the present invention may be used advantageously in the manufacture of extruded irregularly shaped rods of activated carban, and the product thus obtained may be employed to good advantage in apparatus for solvent recovery, for extraction or separation of adsorbable vapors from gaseous media, for the treatment of liquids andsolutions to remove impurities therefrom, and as a catalyst in organic reactions such as the production of carbonyl chloride or phosgene from carbon monoxide and chlorine.

Activated carbons of commerce may be in the form of line powders or in the form of granules and agglomerated masses of definite shape. The powdered materials are employed primarily in the'treatment of liquids and solutions by the socalled contact process, while the granular materials are primarily employed for the treatment of gases and Vapors and other airform bodies. To a lesser extent the granular or agglomerated carbons are employed for the treatment of liquids by the so-called percolation process.

Granular carbons used in the treatment of gases and vapors and other airform bodies, because of the conditions of service imposed on them, are required to be hard and nonbrittle. Such carbons are generally obtained using coconut shell and fruit pit charcoals as raw materials, and the commercial product is in the form of granules of the desired mesh size.-

Since coconut shells and fruit pits are obtainable in quantity only in certain localities, activated carbons suitable for the treatment of gases and vapors and other airform bodies are frequently made from wood charcoal by grinding the charcoal, mixing it with a suitable binder, extruding the mixture to form rods of the desired size and shape (generally short cylinders the length of which may vary from two to three times the diameter), and then subjecting the rods .to an activation process by any of the methods Well known to those skilled in the art. The agglomerated carbon masses or particles thus produced resemble short lengths of spaghetti,

and while generally solid, may be provided at VII truded in the usual manner; however, the source of pressure actuating the extrusion mechanism is pulsating and not steady, and the extruded carbon rod thus produced comprises substantially equidistantly spaced protrusions the distance between which will depend on the frequency of the pulsations of the pressure source actuating the extrusion mechanism. I

The extruded carbon rods thus produced are broken up by tumbling in a drum or by any other suitable means and then subjected to activation in the usual manner. As the rods are broken, the fracture will be invariably at the weak points between the protrusions, and the resulting carbon particles will be knob-like in shape. If desired, the rod may be providedwith a central opening to permit a more rapid permeating of the particle by the gaseous or airform bodies coming into contact with the carbon particles in use.

The present invention will be fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the annexed drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus.

such as may be used advantageously in the practice of the method of this invention;

Fig. 2 diagrammatically represents the extruded carbon rods produced according to the method of this invention and illustrates the manner in which they fracture;

Fig. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the manner in which the carbon granules produced according to the method of this invention haphazardly pack when they are placed in a suitable container; and

Fig. 4 illustrates in cross section a carbon granule made according to the method of this invention provided with an internal opening located substantially centrally along the longitudinal axis of the original rod. I

Referring to the drawing in detail, i0 is the driving wheel of a prime mover linked through a connecting rod l l to a piston l2 moving within a cylinder l3. On the outstroke the piston l2 aspirates pressure fluid through line 14 and check valve l5 from the reservoir 16, and in the instroke the piston 12 discharges pressure fluid through check valve l1 and line l8 through 4-Way valve l9 and line 20 to the forward end of the actuating cylinder 2i of the extrusion press. The rear end of the actuating cylinder 2| is connected through line 22 to the 4-way valve l9, and the 4-way valve I9 is connected through line 23 to the reservoir l6. v

The 4-way valve I9 is actuated by a solenoid 24 connected to a source of electric power (not shown) through leads 25 and 26 and is actuated by a contactor 2'! in response to the limitswitch 28 or thelimit switch 29 as thecase might be.

The plunger 30 of the extrusion press is pro- 3 vided with a toggle 3| adapted to contact and actuate the limit switch 29 on its backward stroke and to contact and actuate the limit switch 28 on" its forward stroke. The toggle 3| at the end of the backward stroke of the plunger 'will close the limit switch 29 and energize the solenoid 24 through the contactor 21, while at the end of the forward stroke of the plunger 30 the toggle 3! will open the limit switch 28 and actuate the ward stroke of the plunger 30 comes to an end,

the to gle a'l closes the limit switch 29' and actuates the solenoid 24 through the contact-or 27 and the i -way valve l9 thus permits the flow of pressure fluid from the cylinder 13 through check valve 11 and lines [8 and 22' to the rear end of the actuating cylinder 2| the extrusion apparatus. Since the pressure fluid is subjected to pulsating pressure; the forward movement of the plunger 30' will be intermittent or jerky, and the rods extruded through the orifices on the die 34 will havesubstantially the configuration illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. I

As the plunger 30 completes its iorward movement, the toggle 3| opens the limit switch 28 which actuates the solenoid 24 through the contact'or 21, and pressure fluid then flows through the 4-way valve I9 from the cylinder l3 through check valve I! and lines l8 and 20 into the forward end of the actuating cylinder 2| in the extrusion press to bring about the backward movement of the plunger 30. i

As has been noted; the carbon rods produced according to the pr'focedure above outlined,'have the general configuration shown in Fig. 2. They comprise protuberances 35 lying'b'e tween portions of lesser diameter 36 and when broken up each individual granule or aggloiiierate will consist of a portion of greater girth 31 flanked by portions of lesser girth 38. They may be provided with a central opening or channel 39 as illustratedin' Fig. 4 by suitable arrangement of the die 34 on the extrusion chamber 33. In any event, the rods produced are broken up by tumbling, by cutting, or by any other suitable means along the portions of lesser diameter 36 as illustrated in Fig. '2,

and, after activation, the carbon granules or asglomerates may be employed for whatever purpose they have beenintended,

As will be noted r qm Fig 3, the carbon granule's' which result from the practice bf this invent-lon, because of their particular shape, bring about thorough contact between themselves and any fluid flowingthrough a body bf them. The

degree of efiiciency, Of contact which they provide is substantially greater than that-provided by smooth, cylindrical rods of agglomeratedcarbon hitherto employed, and this greater eflieiency is reflected in more complete retrieval of adsorbable matter in adsorption processes and in more complete conversion of reactants to desired prod not in catalytic processes. g

It will be understood that while there have been described herein "and illustrated in the drawing certain embodiments of the present iii-vention, it is not intended thereby to have this invention limited to or circumscribed by the par ticular details of construction, arrangement of parts, products, procedures, or conditions herein described or illustrated in the drawing in view of the fact that thisinvention is susceptible to modifications according to individual preference and conditions without departing from the spirit of this disclosure and the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1, The method of making a contact mass of carbon comprising discrete granules each having a substantially globular portion of greater girth flanked by cylindrical portions of lesser girth, which comprises applying pulsating pressure to a confined mass of plastic material comprising carbon powder and binding material to thereby cause said material to pass through an extrusion die of uniform predetermined contour in a wall of the confining means.

2. The method of making a contact mass of activated carbon comprising discrete granules each having a substantially globular portion of greater girth alternating with cylindrical portions of lesser girth, which comprises forming rods by applying pulsating pressure to a confined mass of plastic material comprising carbon powder and binding material to thereby cause said material to pass through an extrusion die in a. Wall of the confining means, and then breaking the rods formed into granules.

3. The method of making a contact mass for liquids, gases and vapors comprising discrete: granules of activated carbon each having a substantially globular portion of greater girth alter-- nating with cylindrical portions of lesser girth, which comprises mixing carbon powder with a. binder to form a plastic mass and confinin it, applying to the mixture pulsating pressure to thereby cause said material to pass through an extrusion die of predetermined contour in a wall of the confining means, breaking the rods formed into granules and subjecting the granules to a surface activating process.

4. The method of making a contact mass of activated carbon for liquids, gases and vapors comprising discrete granules each having a substantially globular portion of greater girth alternating with cylindrical portions of lesser girth, which comprises mixing charcoal powder with a binder toform a plastic mass and confining it, applying to the mixture pulsating pressure to thereby cause said material to pass through an extrusion die of predetermined contour in a wall of the confined means, to form rods, then breaking the rods thus formed into granules, and surface-activating the granules formed.

ENRIQUE L. LUACES.

REFERENCES CITED The followingr-eferences are of record in the 'file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,630,660 Ikeda et al. May 31, 1927 2,065,124 Dreyfus et a1 Dec. 22, 1936 2,117,179 Kopp May 10, 1938 2,142,597 Allen et a1 Jan. 3, 1939 2,216,188 Dons et 'al. 'Oct. 1, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 706,079 France May 23, 1931 

